Can transfer and orienting mechanism



April 6, 1948. A. L. CHRISTIANSEN 2,439,075

CAN TRANSFER AND ORIENTING MECHANISM Filed July 4, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1III/4 q [AWE/V702 I Aime/vex A. L. CHRISTIANSEN CAN TRANSFER ANDORIENTING MECHANISM Filed Juiy 4, 1944 April 6, 1948.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

i W x4/VD/PEWL CHE/SWA/VSf/V i -5555 BY 1 fii ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 6,1948 CAN TRANSFER AND ORIENTING MECHANISM Andrew L. Christiansen,Willowbrook, Calif.

Application July 4, 1944, Serial No. 543,448

4 Claims.

:My invention relates to a can transfer and conveying mechanism.

-'One of the principal objects of this invention is toprovide relativelysimple and efficient means for transferring cans,.,particularly cansopen at one end, from oneconveyor to another, so that the cans may beconveyed with their openings directed upwardly.

An important object also of this invention is to provide a mechanism ofthis class in which cans which are lying on their sides, and open atoneend (that is, with the openings of the loans on the side), are turnedwith such openings directed upwardly, and in which such turning of thecans is effected while transferring the cans from one conveyor toanother.

An important object also of this invention is to provide-a novelmeansfor turning an article from one position to'a position substantially atright'angles thereto.

A further important object of this invention is to provide a mechanismof this class in which theturningoperation is performed with a minimumof vibration or shock to the can and the contents "therein, andparticularly while the can is being received and transferred froinaconveyor.

With these and otherobjects in View, as will appear hereinafter, I havedevised a mechanism for transferring and conveying cans, and onehavingcertain novel features of construction, combination, and-arrangement ofparts and 'portions as will be hereinafter described in detail -andparticularly set forth in he appended claims, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings and tothe characters of reference thereon,Whichiforrn apart of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of my can transfor and conveyingmechanism, in a preferred form, fortransferring cans from a can packingma'c'l'n'ne toa conveyor;

Fig. 2 .is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken through 2-2of-Fig. 11, showing the 2 tional views thereof, taken through 33 and Lof Fig. 1, showing intermediate stages in the tilting or turning of'thepacking cans in the transfer mechanism Fig. 3 showing .by dotted lines acan in a slightly greater:tilted position than that shown inFig. 2; and,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary end-elevational view of thetransiermechanism-irom which the cans are discharged to a conveyorinupright position, a can being shown on such conveyor.

My present 'machine is an improvement of United States Patent No.2,195,882, issued to me, April 1940, fora Canpacking machine. The frameI, the can conveyor *2, mounted thereon, and the packing conveyor 3 alsomounted on the frame, are similar to those shown .in the above patent.Only thedischarge ends of these conveyors are here shown. The dischargeend of the conveyor .2 is shown as carired on a sprocket d which ismounted on a shaft '5,.revo1ub1y supported in a horizontal position. atone end of the frame I.

The conveyor 2 consists primarily of a continuous series of transverseblocks 2 carried by a link belt 2*. The adjacent sides of the blockshave semi-cylindrical recesses which together form a cylindrical pocket.lIn each of such cylinrical pockets is positioned a correspondinglyshaped can. This can, designated C, with one end of the can open, andwhich has'been previously packed by this machine with a suitableproduct, is carried in such pocket, transversely of the longitudinalextentof the conveyor. The :blocks 2 when carried around the dischargeend of the conveyor, are "separatedas shown, causing the pocket to beopened and allowing the can between the adjacent blocks to be carried bythe leading block until 'it assumes a receding and inclined position, asthe block designated 2 The can carried by the block is then discharged,or allowed to fall by gravity, from the cradle of the carrying block.

My present invention relates to a mechanism which receives the packed.cans in a lying position, that is, with the opening at the side, fromthe aforementioned conveyor, and turning the same, with the openings ofthe cans directed upwardly, and depositing the same on another conveyor.

Such turning mechanism, as shown in the drawings, consists primarily ofa helical passageway embodied in an open chute II. This chute extendsfrom the discharge end and in the direction of the conveyor 2, butdownwardly therefrom. It consists of a plurality of rectangular framesI! which are connected by a plurality of twisted strips or guides IlThese strips or guides are so twisted that the passageway within thechute assumes the shape of a helix, for receiving, at the high end ofthe chute, the cans in a lying position from the conveyor 2, tending tocause the same, aided by the force of gravity, to be directed toward theopposite or low end of the chute, and to be gradually turned from alying position to a substantially upright position at said lower end.The arrangement of the strips or guides, as shown best in the enlargedsection in Fig. 4, may consist of a bottom strip or guide and two stripsor guides at the opposite sides.

The cans are retained in the path of the blocks 2*, at the discharge endof the conveyor 2, and

also at a slight angle backwardly, by a guard I2 which is supported bythe frame I beyond the discharge end of the conveyor 2. The cans C fallfrom the cradles in the blocks 2 against the guard I2, and as the blocksare withdrawn from the guard, the cans drop toward the receiving end ofthe chute. At the opposite sides of the guard I2 are other guard platesl3 for locating the ends of the cans and definitely guiding the cansinto the chute.

In order to facilitate the transfer of the cans from the conveyor 2 tothe chute I I, I have provided a pair of link belts or chain conveyors It and I immediately below the discharge end of the conveyor 2, thesebelts l4 and I5 extending into the receiving end of the chute II. Theend of the upper stretches of the belts l4 and I5, positioned under ornear the discharge end of the conveyor 2, are of the same height, thatis, they are horizontal with respect to each other, but the opposite orlower ends of these belts, that is, the ends extending into the chuteII, are such that the conveyor I5 is lower than the conveyor Hi. Thecans drop on the horizontal ends of the belts I4 and I5, and are therebygiven an initial turn in the direction of the helical passageway of thechute.

In order to carry out such arrangement of the belts, the receiving endof the belts I4 and I5 extend around like diameter sprockets I5 mountedon the shaft IT. The opposite ends of the upper. stretches of thesebelts respectively extend around a large sprocket l8, and a smallersprocket l9, both mounted on the same shaft 20. These belts areof thesame length and are held taut by idler sprockets 2| and 22, arranged ondifierent axes, substantially as shown in Fig. 1.

Both of these link belts or chain conveyors are provided with stops orlugs 23 for checking the progress of the cans and feeding the sameindividually from the conveyor 2 through the chute II onto thereceivingconveyor 24.

The cans may be deposited directly from the chute II onto the conveyor24. There may be provided a guard (not shown) at the side of theconveyor 24 to prevent the cans from being projected beyond the latterconveyor.

Though I have shown and described a particular construction,combination, and arrangement of parts and portions, I do not wish to belimited to the same, but desire to include in the scope of my .inventionthe construction, com- 4 bination, and arrangement substantially as setforth in the appendedclaims.

I claim:

- 1. In a mechanism of the class described, a pair of horizontalconveyors, the first having means for holding cans transversely withrespect to the longitudinal extent of the latter conveyor and forconveying the same, means for transferring said cans from the latterconveyor to a substantially upright position on the other conveyor, saidmeans comprising a downwardly inclined helical passageway ofsubstantially rectangular cross-section for receiving at one end thecans transversely therein from the first conveyor and in substantiallythe positions of the cans on said first conveyor, said passagewaydirecting said cans toward the opposite end thereof and simultaneouslyturning the same so that they may be deposited in said substantiallyupright position on the other conveyor, and a third conveyor positionedat the bottom of the receiving end of the helical passage means theupper stretch of the third conveyor being inclined to conform to thedownward inclination of the helical passage means, one end of the thirdconveyor being positioned below the discharge end of the first conveyorfor receiving cans in substantially horizontal positions from the firstconveyor, the upper portion of the opposite end of the third conveyorbeing inclined transversely at substantially the transverse angle of thehelical passage means into which said end of the third conveyor extends,the third conveyor having lonitudinally spaced partitions for receivingsingly the cans from the first conveyor.

2. In a mechanism of the class described, a conveyor having means forholding cans transversely with respect to the longitudinal extentthereof, and for conveying the same, means in association therewith forreceiving said cans from said conveyor and turning the same upwardly atan angle, said means comprising a helical passageway of substantiallyrectangular cross-section for receiving said cans one end thereof fromsaid conveyor and directing the same toward the opposite end thereof andsimultaneously turn ing said cans so that they may be turned in asubstantially upright position at said opposite ends, and a secondconveyor positioned at the bottom of the receiving end of the helicalassage means, the upper stretch of the conveyor being inclineddownwardly, one end of the second conveyor being positioned below thedischarge end of the first conveyor for receiving cans in substantiallyhorizontal positions from the first conveyor, the upper portion of theopposite end of the second conveyor being inclined transversely atsubstantially the transverse angle of the helical passage means intowhich said end of the second conveyor extends, the second conveyorhaving longitudinally spaced partitions for receiving singly the cansfrom the-first conveyor.

3. In a mechanism of the class described, a pocket conveyor havingtransverse pockets for conveying cams on the side, another conveyorpositioned below the former for receiving the cans and partly turningthe same with one end upwardly, a guard extending around the dischargeend of the first conveyor for directin cans sidewise to said secondconveyor, and a downwardly inclined helical chute for receiving canssidewise from the second conveyor and. rotating the same to an uprightposition.

4. In a mechanism of the class described, a pocket conveyor comprisingan endless chain having transverse pockets therein and a wheel aroundwhich the discharge end of said chain extends, cans adapted to be placedsidewise in the pocket and adapted to be discharged therefrom when saidcans are positioned substantially laterally from the axis of said wheel,another conveyor positioned below the former for receiving the cans andpartly turning the same with one end upwardly, a guard extending aroundthe discharge end of the first conveyor for directing the cans sidewiseto said second conveyor, and a downwardly inclined helical chute forreceiving cans side wise from the second conveyor and rotating the sameto an upright position.

ANDREW L. CHRISTIANSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 Number Name Date 699,244 Rubin May 6, 19021,752,340 Holm Apr. 1, 1930 2,097,368 Frank Oct. 26, 1937

